This is an idea to improve the forum community, but this thread absolutely does not reflect any type of “official” T-Nation site membership requirement.
It’s a check-in, not a call-out. The idea is to improve the sense of community and remind us all that, no matter what we post about here and what initially brought us to the site, the one common trait that every forum member should have is a consistent drive to attack our training and see results, period.
I’m asking for all forum members to post a current snapshot of themselves. And let’s try not to get too distracted or off-topic with critiques of what gets posted. There should end up being more posts with images attached, than not.
If your goals are physique-based - you want to get bigger or get leaner or get bigger and leaner - toss up a current pic.
If your goals are performance-based - the powerlifter, the fighter, the Olympic lifter, etc. - you’re not excused. You’re invited to post a short video clip from a recent training session.
I’m just asking you to participate and play a role in improving the quality of the forum as a whole by reinforcing the idea that T-Nation members know how to do more than just rack up high post counts in the non-training-related sections of the site.
Concerned about staying anonymous? Sites like pixlr are free Photoshop-like websites that make it ridiculously simple to edit/blur/obscure your face, identifying tattoos, birthmarks, background detail, or anything else that might threaten your anonymity.
Feel like about four years since the last one of these threads. Weird.
Haven’t touched a barbell or had a solid workout since Christmas-ish. Been having a bunch of real world stuff going on. Getting by on sporadic bodyweight stuff scattered throughout the day: Pee break, set of chins on the doorway bar. Go downstairs for food, bang out push-ups. Let dog outside, walking lunges in the yard 'til she’s done. Yadda yadda.
Off topic, but do you think these make a difference in hip health or soreness?
When I reluctantly got knee sleeves, I was blown away. Mine are not even very tight, but they make such a difference in how sore my knees get. If the shorts made even a quarter of the difference the sleeves did for soreness, I’ll buy them today. Elbow sleeves on the other hand, I don’t notice much difference at all.
Health? No idea. Couldn’t really say on the topic of soreness either, simply because I don’t train without them to be able to compare. They make my hips warm and keep them warm, which is awesome when training in a garage in the winter. They can also help create an artificially wider waist under a belt, which is cool.
Here’s mine… with a mini check in part way thru the last 6 months.
Aug 21 (previous thread update):
26 Nov 2021 pics (end of local ‘gym challenge’ - dig these socks. Pics taken for challenge in relaxed stance):
Evolt body scan bf% from 21.3% (5 Oct 21) down to 18.6% (26 Nov 21)
BW 72 down to 65.6kg (hard cut)
NOW… Early Feb 22, BW 68kg and steady (150lb)
Hitting PR’s or closing in on PR’s on all main lifts compared to my best lifts circa 2015ish, so things going nicely. A few kg’s snuck back on post that hard cut late last year, so bf% likely back around 20%. Carbs taste good.
A more recent pic last week, post conditioning at the local gym. A bit bigger around lats/shoulders/chest, and a bit more on the belly. Occasional ibs flareups, limiting oats, limiting processed crap, playing around with different foods, life stresses, all that good shit.
Continuing to learn plenty on how my body works. Putting on muscle is tough, putting on weight (fat) ‘easy’. Losing weight kinda easy too as per @T3hPwnisher thoughts on such.
More conditioning daily helping too, with includes some burpees most days, influx from the likes of @ChongLordUno . Might update with a better pic later on if I remember.
Confident this will be a great thread without too many xmas overindulgent photo’s. Great forum and support/info here - thanks for the tips.
Back is a bit bigger, so is the bald patch so it’s ups and downs. Regained all the lost weight from longer distance running and then some, not as lean as usual but seem to be gaining good weight also.
Lower body barbell exercises I’ve turned 10 rep maxs into 20 and upper exercises from 8 rep max to 15.
Back at it after covid, running GMM and hitting conditioning/challenge stuff regularly. Lowest weight I’ve been at in a couple years and my lifts keep going up.
Made a ton of progress in getting bigger and stronger in 2021 and that is still the goal in 2022, along with getting married in October. This is a huge year for me, and that will include getting huge in the bro sense as well as a Grinch-style, heart growing 10 sizes.
Now that I’m done being sentimental, here’s my current status at 6’ 198-200 pounds:
Definitely putting more focus on progressing my big lifts this year, which 5/3/1 is really helping with. Shout out to my future brother-in-law for recommending the book and program!
I’d like to get a stronger lower body and maintain my upper body physique, even if strength drops off. I mtb/ski a few times a week and am generally very active so it’s really tough for me to get in enough calories to gain weight without infringing on family/work/recreation. My Fitbit says I average between 4200-4600kcals burned per day… Based on my rough food intake that sounds about right.
6’4" 194lbs
Bench: 5x240
Squat: 5x300 (would like to be up in 340ish range)
Dead: 3x355 (would like to be 4plates)
Due to sports in my youth, and mtb/ski crashes in my 20s I have bad shoulders (real bad), a bad ankle and a wonky hip. Recently became a dad and so the goal now is to stay healthy/strong/flexible enough to beat my kid at every sport till he is 17.
Only have a basic squat rack setup in the garage and bench hits chest quickly/efficiently. It my form stays super tight it’s fine. So no ego lifting on there haha. Also, oddly, overhead pressing makes my shoulders feel better- I think largely due to stabilizers being strengthened and activated.
Tore my rotator cuff years ago in a wrestling meet, couldnt raise my right arm above shoulder level for about 5 months. Decided then that I was going to get my press as high as I could, refused to let my shoulder be a weak point. It mainly worked, but now i find that if I ever stop overhead pressing, my shoulder starts acting very wonky, very quickly. Not sure why, but I need to press in order for it to be happy with me lol.
I can’t do music and video on my phone simultaneously so I’m not sure when I’ll ever get another action shot in. So, here’s a dirty bathroom mirror selfie:
